This post provides a timeline of the first 100 days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I have been noting news items which catch my eye. But they quickly became a blur (information overload!) so I decided to compile them into a Timeline, to better understand the origins and early development of this disastrous saga.
Who could have imagined that a microscopic little coronavirus in Wuhan China would bring the world economy to its knees in just 100 days??? It really is an incredible story.
Covid-19 pandemic: the first 100 days
(Compiled by Alex Olah from various media sources)
To keep it simple, I designated “Day 1” of the
Covid-19 saga as 1 January 2020.
The dates shown are probably out by a day or even
two – depends when I saw the report on a news site.
There is debate as to when this coronavirus was
first detected, some say it surfaced in Wuhan in November 2019 or even earlier.
I have used 16 December 2019 as the nominal start date, when the Chinese say
the first patient was admitted to hospital in Wuhan.
While the Timeline has an Australian focus, President Trump gets frequent mention … he dominates
world news …
Day
|
Date
|
Event
|
December 2019
|
||
16
Dec
|
First
patient admitted to Wuhan Hospital. Wuhan, a large city of over 11 million
people, is the capital of Hubei Province.
|
|
27
|
Hubei
Provincial Government advised of unknown new virus
|
|
31
|
27
cases in Wuhan. China advised WHO of the new unknown/novel coronavirus (CV).
|
|
January 2020
|
||
1
|
1
Jan
|
Wuhan
wet market closed.
|
3
|
3
|
According
to CNN, the novel coronavirus was first mentioned in the White House Daily
Intelligence Briefing today. The US National Center for Medical Intelligence
(under the Pentagon) started following the novel coronavirus in December
2019.
Another
report said that President Trump got his first proper briefing on CV19 on 18
January.
|
5
|
5
|
WHO
advised its member countries of the novel coronavirus (CV). Later designated
Covid-19 (CV19).
|
8
|
8
|
First
death; a 61 year old male died in Wuhan Hospital.
|
9
|
9
|
China
released map of novel CV’s genome (genetic sequence). It is not SARS or MERS.
Welcomed by scientists around the world.
|
10
|
10
|
WHO
posts guidelines on its website.
|
13
|
13
|
First
case found outside China, in Thailand.
|
19
|
19
|
Beijing
sent team of epidemiologists to Wuhan to learn more about the novel CV.
First
case detected in Australia.
|
20
|
20
|
China
advised WHO that human-to-human transmission is confirmed.
Cases
detected in cities around Wuhan.
First
case detected in South Korea.
|
21
|
21
|
US Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirms first case in USA (the person arrived from China on 15 January).
|
22
|
22
|
Trump
“only one case in the USA – it’s all
under control”. (On 26 January there were just 15 cases in the USA).
|
23
|
23
|
800
cases, 25 dead, Wuhan (city of 11 million) locked-down.
|
24
|
24
|
Lock-down
extended to neighbouring cities around Wuhan, to cover 36 million people.
|
28
|
28
|
WHO
senior delegation visited China re CV19.
|
29
|
29
|
Peter
Navarro, President Trump’s top trade advisor, circulated a memo around the
White House warning of a pandemic.
|
31
|
31
|
China
11,000 cases, 258 dead.
Cases
detected in UK, Spain, Italy, France.
President Trump stopped direct flights from China to the USA (but an estimated 43,000 people still
arrived from China, and screening was ‘patchy’).
WHO
declared a “Public Health Emergency of
International Concern”.
|
February 2020
|
||
32
|
1
Feb
|
Australia
stopped direct flights from China
|
34
|
3
|
President
Trump “We shut it down!”
|
35
|
4
|
Global
20,000 cases, 425 deaths.
First
death outside China, in Manila.
WHO
declares it an Epidemic.
|
36
|
5
|
CDC
started distributing testing kits around USA (but some were faulty).
|
47
|
16
– 24
|
WHO
Expert Mission to China (including experts from USA, Canada, Germany, Japan,
South Korea, and Russia).
|
56
|
25
|
Trump, visiting India, said “it’s under control”.
|
58
|
27
|
Prime
Minister Scott Morrison unveiled Australia’s “CV19 Action Plan” (but everything was
pretty relaxed).
|
60
|
29
|
Australia
- first case of community transmission.
|
March 2020
|
||
61
|
1
|
Australia
– first death (from Diamond Princess).
|
63
|
3
|
51
cases in UK; PM Boris Johnson declared “Level 4 Crisis”.
|
64
|
4
|
Now
more outside China than inside.
China
80,151 cases, 2,943 deaths.
China
experienced 150 dead in one day – turned out to be its peak.
|
66
|
6
|
Italy
had 197 deaths; government announced restrictions.
First
death in UK.
|
67
|
7
|
CV19 now in 100 countries; tourism, travel, hospitality industries devastated.
Stock
markets around the world crashed (and continued to fall).
|
69
|
9
|
USA
524 cases; Trump said “less dangerous
than the flu”.
|
71
|
11
|
1,000
cases in USA; 456 cases in UK; 60 cases in India.
President
Xi Jin Ping visited Wuhan; no new cases in Wuhan today.
Italy
locked down.
|
72
|
12
|
WHO
declared a Pandemic.
Europe
now the epicentre, especially Italy (and then Spain).
Australian
Government announced first stimulus package A$17.6 billion. (There will be
two further packages: 22 March A$66B, 30 March A$130B. The individual States
also introduced support packages – eg the ACT Govt (where Vera & I live)
announced two packages of $137m and $214m.)
|
73
|
13
|
Many stock
markets around the world fell about 30% in a week.
Oil
price down 24% in Saudi-Russia stoush.
London
Marathon cancelled; English Premier League soccer halted.
PM
Morrison announced formation of a “National Cabinet” for Australia comprising
the Prime Minister, and leaders of all the States and Territories.
|
74
|
14
|
2,500
cases in the USA.
President
Trump declared “National Emergency”;
he said “the virus is very contagious
but is under tremendous control”.
USA
blocked direct flights from Mainland Europe (the following day expanded to
include UK and Ireland).
|
75
|
15
|
PM
Morrison announced that all arrivals in Australia must self-isolate at home for
14 days (but no checking or enforcement provisions).
This
was the last weekend for normal football games for Rugby League, Rugby Union
and Aussie Rules, before crowd restrictions came into force from tomorrow.
In
Canberra a crowd of 8,000 watched the ACT Brumbies beat the NSW Waratahs
47-14.
The
Brumbies (Rugby Union) and the Raiders (Rugby League) had good starts to the year, but unfortunately their success was cut short.
The
codes tried playing games in empty stadiums, but when some States and NZ
brought in 14 day self-quarantine for all visitors,
the games ceased.
|
76
|
16
|
Estimates
from John Hopkins University today: Global cases 183,198, deaths 7,165. USA
cases 4,226.
President Trump issued social distancing guidelines.
Tom
Hanks and his wife left hospital on Queensland's Gold Coast where he was filming.
Firearm
sales booming in the USA.
Stock
markets still falling; the Dow Jones Index will shortly go below 20,000
(roughly back to where it was when Trump was elected), and later start
climbing again.
|
76
|
16
|
Vera
& I returned from our three week holiday in India. There was no screening at Sydney
International Airport, we got through Immigration and Customs quickly. Caught
a bus to Canberra, and started our two weeks of self-isolation at home.
When
we left Australia on 22 February the stock market was at a record high, we
knew about CV19 but it was basically in China and seemed far away. When we got
back 3 weeks later the whole world had changed!!! How could/did it happen so
quickly???
|
77
|
17
|
Qantas
announced 90% cut in international flights and 60% cut in domestic flights.
The
Aussie dollar dropped to A$1=US$0.61 (it fell to US$0.55 before recovering).
|
79
|
19
|
The
Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in Sydney with 2,647 passengers and 1,148
crew. All passengers were permitted to
disembark without screening (they would cause many infections and deaths around
Australia).
|
80
|
20
|
Australia
closed its borders to everyone except Australian citizens and Permanent Residents. 681 cases in Australia with 6 deaths.
Italy
41,000 cases and 3,405 deaths (Italy has passed China’s death total of
3,249).
UK:
pubs, cafes, restaurants closed.
|
81
|
21
|
Australian Govt introduced second
stimulus package (Job Seeker) $32.6 billion.
|
82
|
22
|
Global
figures now exceed 300,000 cases and 13,000 deaths.
WHO
noted CV19 is accelerating: it took 67 days to reach 100,000 cases, another
12 days to reach 200,000, and only 4 days to reach 300,000.
|
84
|
24
|
Trump
“it’s like flu, nothing to worry about”.
|
85
|
25
|
Tokyo
2020 Olympics postponed until July 2021.
Australia
announced Stage 2 restrictions; some States closing their borders; testing
criteria widened.
PM
Modi of India gave four hours warning of a 21 day nation-wide lock-down (I was hugely impressed by his determined action).
|
86
|
26
|
USA
$2 trillion stimulus package.
Temperature
screening started at Sydney Airport.
Italy
now 6,820 deaths. Spain 3,434 deaths.
|
87
|
27
|
USA
with 82,000 cases becomes epicentre (passed Italy’s 81,000 cases).
Australia
introduced mandatory, supervised isolation for all arrivals (govt paid hotel
costs).
|
89
|
29
|
Australia
reduced permitted group size from 10 to only 2 persons.
|
April 2020
|
||
94
|
3
|
Grim
milestones: Now over 1 million global cases, and 52,000 deaths.
WHO
recommended wearing face masks (after saying not effective).
|
97
|
6
|
The
Queen of England’s TV message.
US
military medics assigned to help States with CV19.
Americans
bought more firearms in March than in any month since the FBI started keeping
records more than 20 years ago. The FBI conducted 3.7 million background
checks in March (1.1 million more than in March 2019).
|
99
|
8
|
Australia
introduced third package (Job Keeper) A$130 billion.
USA
deaths 1,858 in one day.
China
32 new cases, but no deaths for 4 days (totals now 81,740 cases and 3,331
deaths).
Wuhan
lock-down ended after 76 days; more than 55,000 today exit the city in which
they had been stuck.
|
100
|
9
|
Boris
Johnson 3rd day in ICU.
932
new cases in UK.
Three
tigers in Bronx Zoo tested positive (assumed transmitted by one of their
handlers who tested positive to CV19).
President
Trump accused WHO of incompetence and “favouring China”; threatens to cut
funding.
A
study found mortality rates at 28/29 March of 4 Western countries (USA, UK,
Spain & Italy) averaged 6.3%, and six Asian countries (China, South
Korea, Japan, Singapore, HK, and Taiwan) averaged 3.7%.
|
Covid-19
by the numbers (cases and deaths are cumulative)
(Source
WHO / SCMP)
Date 2020
|
Global
|
Australia
|
||
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
|
23
March
|
335,972
|
14,642
|
1,353
|
7
|
4
April
|
1,088,878
|
58,243
|
5,330
|
28
|
10
April
|
1,606,782
|
95,990
|
6,108
|
51
|
Date
|
USA
|
Italy
|
Spain
|
|||
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
|
28
March
|
101,242
|
1,588
|
||||
2
April
|
210,694
|
4,703
|
105,792
|
13,155
|
102,136
|
9,053
|
10
April
|
452,582
|
16,129
|
143,626
|
18,279
|
152,446
|
15,238
|
Date
|
Iran
|
India
|
Indonesia
|
|||
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
|
3
April
|
50,468
|
3,160
|
2,356
|
72
|
1,790
|
170
|
10
April
|
66,220
|
4,110
|
6,653
|
199
|
3,293
|
280
|
Date
|
Brazil
|
Russia
|
Nigeria
|
|||
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
|
3
April
|
7,910
|
299
|
3,548
|
30
|
||
10
April
|
16,474
|
839
|
10,131
|
76
|
276
|
6
|
So many questions, including:
How / Why are USA cases going up so much? Even if Chinese figures are understated as some claim, the
USA already has 5 times as many cases, and it hasn’t even peaked
yet???
Fortunately the mortality rate in the USA has been
low. But that begs the question: why is
the mortality rate so high in Italy, and Spain (and UK)???
There are many countries where the real situation is
still unknown (because lack of testing), such as India, Indonesia, Brazil,
Russia, Nigeria. The tsunami still to come …?
...
What a global disaster in terms of lives and livelihoods.
Australia has had a rough time: drought, bushfires, floods, now Covid-19.
...
I wonder what the second 100 days will bring???
...
Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Vera & Alex Olah
Canberra, Australia
Sunday 12 April 2020 (Easter Sunday)
